Visitors since 15 / 03 / 07 :
BACKPACKERS
CABANAS CAMPING RESTAURANT HORSEBACK RIDING NATURE TRAILS TROPICAL FRUITS
Last Update: 08 / 01 / 2008
MENU:
At only 2 minutes walk to Sarteneja village, from our one million square feet of
land, enjoy the pleasures of Backpackers paradise and discover the
secrets of the Belizian nature.
In the shadow of the mango trees, our cosy cabanas with private patios welcome you to be surrounded by the fabulous nature. Through their big windows on the two sides of the cabanas, you will enjoy watching the wildlife and the stars, lying in your bed.
A clean common bathroom is at yours disposal.
The common room is open to each of our guests. You can hang your
hammock and watch birds and butterflies.
It allows you to relax in a comfortable
atmosphere, have a chat or read a book. It is also a place of exchange where
backpackers share their travel experiences and can express themselves
on a billboard. Travelling information is available and we are always pleased to
inform you if you want to know more about
Camping : $5.BZ per person per night
Cabanas : $20.BZ for a double bed per night
(not per person)
Restaurant : menu from $2.BZ to $8.BZ
Horseback riding : $25.BZ for 11/2 hour
Horse Buggy tour : $35.BZ for two people, 11/2 hour
Bike rental :
$10.BZ per day
Laundry : $8.BZ per bucket
FREE TROPICAL FRUITS
Mangos, oranges, tangerines, prunes, grapefruits, crabu, picked by you in season.
During a ride through Sarteneja village, along
the beach to the doors of the savannah, observe the beauties of Mother
Nature at a natural rhythm. Our Mennonite buggy or our Mexican saddle and our gentle horses will give you a
comfortable ride.
If you come from Corozal or San Pedro with the Thunderbolt, we will give you a lift from Sarteneja pier to Backpackers paradise (10 min. ride). Just send us an e-mail at cabanasbelize@yahoo.com.
Between the
jungle and the sea Sarteneja makes a paradise for all nature lovers. As
a biologist herpetologist, Nathalie Nguyen is always glad to show you
the beauties of the surrounding nature and talk about your wildlife
observations. The travellers are invited to share their encounters in a
record of the wildlife book seen at Backpackers paradise. A lot of
animals are attracted here by the big quantities of fruits on the trees
or on the ground: birds like the Yucatan blue jays, the Amazon parrots,
hummingbirds are often seen here, as well as mammals like agoutis,
coatis (see picture), squirrels or grey foxes. The national butterfly bluemorpho comes often to eat the fruits fallen on the
ground. And who knows, our nature trails through the forest could bring
you into the path of the margay. Nature guide books can be borrowed at the office and a pictures
exhibition can be seen in the restaurant.
The main
attraction is the Shipstern Nature Reserve easily accessible from Sarteneja village.
Links:
Shipstern.org. We recommend you the full day tour to the lagoon of
Shipstern (see picture). At board of a lancha
(small boat), you will be able to observe many species of bird, such as
the
blue heron, the spoonbill, the reddish egret or even the wood stork at
a
certain period of the year. After a couple of hours on the lagoon, the
jeep
patrol will bring you to the tree top at the Xo-pol pond where
crocodiles and
turtles live.
You can as well visit the Crocodile nursery of Steve Nicholas situated
at 10 minutes walk from Backpackers paradise.
Guided tours by local people are available to help you
discover the wild ruins and the Maya caves of Sarteneja. You will hear about the Maya
history of
this village where thousands of Mayas used to live and bury their
treasures.
The nature
trails on our
Self guided jungle trails bring you to the heart of the forest for wildlife observations.
Sarteneja is home to the biologists Zoe and Paul Walker, who are famous for rescuing manatees in Belize and are involved in many programs of nature protection, included research for amphibian conservation.
In the Chetumal bay in the Corozal district of
Belize remains one of the last typical fishermen’s’
village unspoiled by massive tourism. Sarteneja used to be an important place of
commercial transit for the old Mayas. Today this peaceful village of
3000 inhabitants lives mostly by fishing and fruit cultivation. The
friendly habitants ride bikes and most of the social life still happens
out of doors (like cooking on open hearth), so it gives this place a
cool and pleasant atmosphere. Sarteneja is home to wooden boat builders who like to show their work and talk about
sailing (see pictures below).
BY BOAT (30 min. ride, $25.BZ) at Corozal pier, the Thunderbolt leaves daily at 7am and 3pm to San Pedro with a stop at Sarteneja on
request.
BY BUS (2and 1/2 hrs ride, $9.BZ), at Corozal bus station take a direct bus to Sarteneja or take a bus towards Belize City and stop in Orange walk.Here the bus to Sarteneja leaves in front of St Christophers’ hotel at 12:30,2pm,5pm and 6 pm.
BY AIRPLANE (15 min ride, $85 BZ), from Corozal airport, with Tropicair, two flights per day, see Tropicair.com.
From Chetumal new market two Sarteneja buses
leave the market at 12pm
The best way from Chetumal: Go to the pier and ask if any
skiffs came from Sarteneja. Usually these small boats go back to Sarteneja in the afternoon and
charge $15bz for the trip. You can leave the
Coming from Caye
Caulker, San Pedro:
BY BOAT (1h15 ride, $45.bz), at San Pedro Thunderbolt pier to Corozal, the Thunderbolt leaves daily at 7 pm and 3 am.
BY BUS FROM BELIZE CITY (2H30 ride, $10.bz), at Sarteneja bus terminal
right next to Triple J pier, direct bus leaves at 1030, 1200, 4 pm, 5
pm, or take a bus toward Chetumal and change at Orange Walk. Here the
bus to Sarteneja leaves in front of St Christopher’s hotel at
1230 pm, 2 pm, 5 pm and 6 pm.
BY AIRPLANE (25 min ride, $85.bz), from San Pedro or Belize City airport, with Tropicair, two flights per day, see www.tropicair.com.
CONTACT US BY E MAIL
(cabanasbelize@yahoo.com) TO GET A BUGGY LIFT FROM SARTENEJA PIER
OR AIRSTRIP, TO BACKPACKERS
Christian was born in Québec. He
quickly emigrated to the south around tropical countries such as
Nathalie was born in
We met in Sarteneja and married. Then the idea
of creating a place for backpackers in a natural surrounding came to
us. As backpacker travellers, we wanted a place where cool people could
meet and enjoy the beauties of nature. We found the perfect place at
the doors of Sarteneja, an old milpa
of
Nathalie & Christian
Christian
Genest and Nathalie Nguyen
Bandera
road
Sarteneja
Corozal
district
Belize
Central America
Phone Number (available in June 2007) : (501) 403.20.51
Email : cabanasbelize@yahoo.com
Directories:
http://www.gratous.com/annuaire